Beyonce on the Killings of Alton Sterling + Philando Castile: ‘Fear Is Not An Excuse’

Beyonce has written an impassioned blog post following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two black men who were killed by police officers this week. In it, Beyonce urges fans to take action and contact their legislators and demand change.

The post -- titled "Freedom," which recalls her Lemonade anthem of the same name -- sees Beyonce declaring, "We are sick and tired of the killings of young men and women in our communities," before noting, "We don't need sympathy. We need everyone to respect our lives."

She continued, saying the issue of police brutality is "a human fight" that affects everyone. Further, Beyonce begs, "The war on people of color and all minorities needs to be over."

Read Beyonce's powerful post below.

We are sick and tired of the killings of young men and women in our communities.

It is up to us to take a stand and demand that they ‘stop killing us.’

We don’t need sympathy.

We need everyone to respect our lives.

We’re going to stand up as a community and fight against anyone who believes that murder or any violent action by those who are sworn to protect us should consistently go unpunished.

These robberies of lives make us feel helpless and hopeless but we have to believe that we are fighting for the rights of the next generation, for the next young men and women who believe in good.

This is a human fight. No matter your race, gender or sexual orientation. This is a fight for anyone who feels marginalized, who is struggling for freedom and human rights.

This is not a plea to all police officers but toward any human being who fails to value life. The war on people of color and all minorities needs to be over.

Fear is not an excuse. Hate will not win.

We all have the power to channel our anger and frustration into action. We must use our voices to contact the politicians and legislators in our districts and demand social and judicial changes.

While we pray for the families of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, we will also pray for an end to this plague of injustice in our communities.

Click in to contact the politicians and legislators in your area.

Your voice will be heard.
— Beyonce

Alton Sterling was shot to death by two white police officers while being restrained outside of a Louisiana convenience store Tuesday night (July 5). Video of the shooting was captured by a bystander who recorded the footage via cell phone. Police alleged Sterling was armed, but Louisiana is an open-carry state, and Abdullah Muflahi, the owner of the convenience store, maintains the officers removed the gun from Sterling's pocket after he'd been shot several times.

A day after Sterling’s death sparked outrage across social media, footage of yet another black man shot dead by a police officer began circulating online. 32-year-old Philando Castile was shot several times following a routine traffic stop, according to the New York Times.

Castile’s girlfriend, Lavish Reynolds, began streaming live video of the incident to Facebook moments after a police officer shot Castile. She explained that the police officer asked to see Castile's license and registration, but reportedly panicked when Castile reached for his wallet.

“He tells us to put our hands in the air, we have our hands in the air,” she told the Times. “At the time as our hands is in the air, he asked for license and registration.

“My boyfriend carries all his information in a thick wallet in his right side back pocket. As he’s reaching for his back pocket wallet, he lets the officer know, ‘Officer, I have a firearm on me.’ I began to yell, ‘But he’s licensed to carry.’ After that, he began to take off shots – bah, bah, bah, bah, ‘Don’t move! Don’t move!’ But how can you not move when you’re asking for license and registration? It’s either you want my hands in the air or you want my identification.”

Head over to Beyonce's official website for links to contact your legislators.